As disclosed in patent references Japanese Published Utility Model Application 4-86022, Japanese Published Patent Application 2000-184551, Japanese Published Patent Application 2002-64917, and Japanese Published Patent Application 2006-296166, technologies are known in which a wire harness arranged in a vehicle or the like is covered with a suitably bent corrugated tube.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a structure of a corrugated tube that is a wire harness exterior body.
In a corrugated tube 10, a wire harness WH is arranged inside of a corrugated tube main body portion that is constituted by annular convex portions 11 and annular concave portions 12.
A wire harness WH is constituted such that a plurality of wires is bundled. More specifically, the wire harness WH is constituted such that a plurality of wires is branched off and bundled according to the wiring configuration for a subject vehicle. The wire harness WH does not necessarily need to be branched off, and may be constituted by a single wire. Furthermore, another optical cable or the like may be bundled to the wire harness WH.
The corrugated tube 10 is a tubular member in which the annular convex portions 11 and the annular concave portions 12 are alternately formed along a longitudinal direction, and is formed of resin or the like. The corrugated tube 10 is easily elastically deformed at step portions or the like between annular convex portions 11 and annular concave portions 12. Thus, the entire corrugated tube 10 has an easily deformable property. Normally, as the corrugated tube 10, a tube is used that has an inner diameter larger than (usually slightly larger than) an outer diameter of the wire harness WH to be mounted.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory view schematically showing a structure in which a belt clamp, which is a vehicle mounting jig, is fixed to the corrugated tube 10. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing details of the belt clamp 50 shown in FIG. 13. As shown in these figures, the belt clamp 50 is constituted by a fastener 100, a belt support portion 200, and a belt portion 300 that are main elements of this structure.
As shown in FIG. 13, the belt portion 300 of the belt clamp 50 is wound about the corrugated tube 10, thereby holding the corrugated tube 10. One of two ends of the belt portion 300 is a fixed end, and the other end is a free end. Furthermore, on one surface of the belt portion 300, a plurality of aligned grooves 310 are formed along a longitudinal direction of the belt portion 300.
The fastener 100 is provided with (i) a flange portion 112 to which the belt support portion 200 is fixed and (ii) an insertion portion 110 that is inserted into a mounting hole of a vehicle body or the like. The belt support portion 200 is fixed to one surface of the flange portion 112, and the insertion portion 110 is arranged on another surface. The flange portion 112 is usually formed with an area larger than the area of the mounting hole so as to seal the mounting hole on the vehicle side.
The fastener 100 is constituted by the flange 112 and the insertion portion 110. The insertion portion 110 is provided with (i) a column portion 111 that is arranged on one surface of the flange portion 112 and (ii) two projected portions 113 that are arranged and projected out at both sides of the column portion 111.
The belt support portion 200 is a portion that connects the belt portion 300 and the fastener 100. The belt support portion 200 is provided with (i) connecting portions 201 and (ii) a belt restricting portion 202 that are fixed to the fastener 100, (iii) vertical wall portions 210 that are arranged in two locations of the connecting portions 201 opposite to each other, and (iv) a belt support wall portion 220 that bridges between the vertical wall portions 210. One end (fixed end) of the belt portion 300 is fixed to the belt support wall portion 220.
The connecting portions 201 are portions that connect the flange portion 112 and the vertical wall portions 210. A displacement portion 202 is arranged between the two connecting portions 201. The two vertical wall portions 210, the displacement portion 202, and the belt support wall 220 facing the displacement portion 202 form a belt through-hole 200A into which the belt portion 300 is inserted from a free end side.
The displacement portion 202 forms part of a surrounding wall of the belt through-hole 200A. One end of the displacement portion 202 is a cantilever-beam portion that is fixed to the flange portion 112. The displacement portion 202 is flexible, whereby it can be displaced in a height direction of the belt through-hole 200A. The height direction of the belt through-hole 200A corresponds to a thickness direction of the belt portion 300 that is inserted into the belt through-hole 200A.
Additionally, as described before, in the belt support portion 200, the belt through-hole 200A is provided, into which the free end of the belt portion 300 can be inserted. This makes a receiving surface at which the bottom surface (planar portion) of the belt support wall portion 220 receives the corrugated tube 10.
Furthermore, when the corrugated tube 10 is fixed to a vehicle body, first, a fixing portion of the corrugated tube 10 is placed as a bottom surface on the receiving surface of the belt support portion 200, and the outer circumferential portion of the corrugated tube 10 is wound with the belt portion 300 and is fastened by inserting the free end of the belt portion 300 into the belt through-hole 200A of the belt support portion 200. Additionally, at this point, engagement claws formed inside of the belt support portion 200 are engaged to grooves 310 formed in the belt portion 300.
By so doing, as shown in FIG. 13, the corrugated tube 10 is held so as to be fastened and fixed to the belt clamp 50.
After the belt clamp 50 is thus fixed to the corrugated tube 10, by inserting the fastener 100 of the belt clamp 50, which fixes the corrugated tube 10, into a mounting hole formed on the vehicle body, the corrugated tube 10 can be fixed to the vehicle body.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory view schematically showing a state in which a belt clamp is mounted to a half pipe type wire harness exterior body formed by a half pipe 60.
As shown in the figure, a cross-sectional shape of the half pipe 60 is a substantially semicircular shape, and a wire harness WH is arranged along a longitudinal direction on an inner circumferential surface of the half pipe 60. Thus, the shape is such that part of the wire harness WH is exposed. Furthermore, the half pipe 60 is formed in a shape that conforms to an arrangement of the wire harness WH in a longitudinal direction. Additionally, as needed, by winding a tie band, duct tape, or the like (none of them is depicted) about the outer circumference of the wire harness WH and the half pipe 60, the wire harness WH is fixed to the half pipe 60.
Also, in a wire harness exterior body such as the half pipe 60 that is thus constituted, in the same manner as the corrugated tube 10 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the belt clamp 50 can be fixed to the half pipe 60 and the wire harness WH by tightening it with a belt portion 300.
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Published Utility Model Application 4-86022
Patent Reference 2: Japanese Published Patent Application 2000-184551
Patent Reference 3: Japanese Published Patent Application 2002-64917
Patent Reference 4: Japanese Published Patent Application 2006-296166